Lost in the Woods: The Ninja from Nowhere!
by chronauer
Summary: Some time after the Fourth Shinobi War, a young ninja stumbles out of the woods with no memory of who he is, or where he came from. Taking refuge in Konoha, he befriends the ninja legend Naruto Uzumaki and soon starts his journey of uncovering the truth of his past. Contains original characters, and some new ones.
1. Words from the Author

First, I want to say that I don't watch a lot of anime, so many of the themes may be lost on me. Second, and even though I consider myself a fan, I don't know *that* much about Naruto. I may be forgetting some details, and I may contradict some things here and there, which is normally a sin worthy of a very special level in hell to me, but I've been wanting to get this project started for years now, so here it goes. Contains some characters of my own making, and several original ones. As far as the universe go, it's strictly original part from what I add myself. (No relationships will be changed, and I will not be changing any major events or how they played out.)

If you have thoughts, comments or notice that a name I made up actually means monkey cum in japanese, I encourage you to drop me a line.

Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!

Many years ago, a Nine-Tailed Fox suddenly appeared...


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The world spun, and the moss felt like jelly underneath my naked feet. I stumbled ahead, and grabbed every tree I passed for support, all while panting like a sick dog. My world was blank, and I had no idea of where I was, where I came from or even my own name. A few words of different meaning still seemed to float through my head, but I couldn't make them out in my current state. I was too dizzy, and too nauseous to process anything but the forrest around me, and even that in all it's emerald green made me want to hurl. Even though I had no sense of either location or my current whereabouts, I soldiered on ahead, trying to walk as straight as humanly possible, but probably ended up taking only left turns.

I stopped at a tree and threw up on the ground. My insides felt like they were on fire, and blood started dripping from my nose as I hurled my guts out. As soon as I could, I kept going with another couple of left turns. Who am I? Where am I? What am I? I could feel that I was. I could sense my own mind, and I could feel myself being. Like a machine, I was slowly waking up but with neither programming or purpose. I just was.

"Hey, there! You all right, mister?"

I tried to turn around to see who the voice that had spoken belonged to, but the effort proved too much for me and I stumbled over my own feet and fell to the ground. I think I hurled again, but it was hard to tell.

"Hey! What's wrong? You sick or something?"

"He's not looking too good, Konohamaru. We should take him back to the village", the voices continued. I could see three shadows surround me, speaking to each other in low voices, and before I knew it I was picked up by my arms and carried. The forest blurred around me, and the wind caught my hair as I was suddenly moving faster than I could even think. The speed was inhuman, but for some reason didn't feel unnatural. What am I?

I have no idea how much time passed. For all I knew it could have been five minutes, an hour, or possibly years. It was all a whirlwind of darkness and nausea, but suddenly I woke up. My head was clearer and I slowly opened my eyes to look around. A hospital room in sterile colors of white and grey surrounded me. I was tightly tucked into bed and apparently wearing a patient's gown. An IV was hooked up to my left forearm, just above a large tattoo of some strange symbols, the meaning of which I couldn't recollect for the life of me. It was strange, not knowing your own body.

I sat up, suddenly feeling how hungry I was. Whatever it was that I was suffering from, I had started to recover and moving wasn't a pain filled horror anymore. I sat my feet down on the cold floor, and tested my legs. Shakey, but stable enough to stand. I grabbed hold of the IV drip, and used it for support as I moved over to the window. The bright sun stung in my eyes as I looked out over the many buildings and houses that spread like a garden of flowers before me. It came back to me that one of my rescuers had called it a village. It seemed such a small word for such a large place.

The door to my room opened up.

"How are we feeling?"

A gorgeous young woman of green eyes and pink hair walked through the door. She was wearing a doctor's lab coat over a red qipao dress, and flashing me a friendly smile. Some things never leave a man's mind, I guess.

"Uhm…", I began, but was immediately surprised at the sound of my own voice. Was that how I sound? The woman pointed at the bed.

"Could you sit down, so I can examine you", she asked. I walked back with the IV drip, and carefully sat down, my legs already aching from the ten feet walk. I looked up at her, trying my best to stay respectful. She placed a hand over my forehead, and I felt a surge of warm energy run through my head.

"Can you tell me your name", she asked. I thought for a bit, but I had nothing. I knew no name that seemed to fit. "Can't remember", I said with my strange voice. She didn't seem phased by my unintelligible answer.

"I see", she began and moved her hand to my chest, and now I could see that her fingers was bathing in a soft green glow. "Your cells have suffered some serious trauma. I'm not certain what you went through, but I don't know many people who could survive this kind of damage", she explained as I enjoyed her hand against my chest. After another few moments, she took a chart from the foot of my bed and studied it, before looking at me again.

"Well, what's the last thing you remember?"

I searched my mind after anything to tell her. "I… I think I was in… a forest", I tried.

"One of our teams found you in the woods at the outskirts of our village. Do you remember anything before that", she said. I tried searching my memories again, but nothing. Nothing before grabbing hold of a tree and throwing my guts up into the bushes. I shook my head, which made the room spin again, and so I laid down.

"Right. I think some rest will do for now.", she said and hung the chart back on the foot of my bed. "Do you have any questions?"

"Yeah… Where am I", I asked with fatigue in my voice.

"Konoha. The village hidden in the leaves, in the land of fire", she answered informatively. Konoha, I thought. It was like hearing the name of a person that you can't remember the face of, but that you are certain to have met at some point. The woman watched me carefully as my mind ticked away.

"And who are you", I soon added. She smiled at me again. "Sakura Haruno. Chief medical ninja of Konoha", she introduced herself. "Are you certain you can't remember your name? Can't keep calling you 'the patient' forever."

I took a deep breath and searched my head one last time. As if I was searching for something very specific in a room, but knew neither what or where to search. It seemed hopeless, but after a moment resembling a minor eternity, a word appeared before my mind's eye. I had no idea what it meant, but it felt familiar.

"I'm not certain. But, Yari…", I told her with a strained tone. "Yari?", she repeated. "Well, then. It's nice to meet you, Yari", she said before she stepped out and softly closed the door behind her.

I soon slept again, and not before late I slept some more. I think I spent the next three days in dreamless slumber, but suddenly I awoke anew. This time I felt different. My head clear, and my body vigorously relaxed. I soon saw that it was nighttime as I looked around the room before I sat up. My muscles responded well, and there was no pain.

I sat my feet on the floor again and stood up, poised and sturdy. With no clue of what to do, I unhooked the IV from my arm and went to the bathroom. I will not describe the experience, but it was definitely my best time spent so far in my few hours of memory.

Several pounds lighter I came out and searched the room to find some more covering clothes in a wardrobe. I quickly dumped the far too airy gown and put on a pair of sweatpants, a comfortable robe and stepped into a pair of slippers before I walked out of the room to have a look around. Long darkened hallways spread out in all directions, and I chose the one to my right which sported a 'stairs'-sign.

My body moved as I wanted it to, but as I found the stairs and started my journey down I felt my breath growing heavier, and as I reached the bottom floor I had to stop and catch my breath again. Still not a hundred percent, I guessed.

Voices carried along the halls now, and I carefully looked around the next corner. Uniformed nurses and a lab coated doctor stood around talking near something that resembled a reception, and a few feet away from them in a waitroom chair sat a young man, seemingly half asleep.

At least I thought he was half asleep, but even though I only peaked around the corner, he noticed me immediately. I quickly withdrew and hid behind the corner again, hoping to not draw further attention.

"Hey! Why are you hiding? You trying to sneak out, or something?"

Incredibly quick and quiet as a mouse, the youngster showed up at my side. His blonde hair stood spiky, and his bright blue eyes scanned me carefully from top to toe.

"Uhm… I'm not certain…", I answered, and the young man took a step back, resting both of his hands behind his head.

"I hear ya," he began. "I've been waiting for them to discharge me for an hour now. Came in for a post-mission check up, and they're fussing over my broken finger", he explained and turned towards the doctor over at the reception. "IT'LL BE HEALED BY MORNING ANYWAY!"

"Calm down, Naruto. It'll be just a few minutes to process it is all", the closest nurse said calmly. The young man, apparently called Naruto, just scoffed.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID AN HOUR AGO", he shouted back at the nurse. My first impression of him was that of a hot-headed young man. Soon he sighed and turned back to me, with a sparkle of mischief in his eyes.

"No, screw this! You want to get some food? I've been living on rations for six days, and I'm starving for some real grub."

I wasn't sure what to answer. I didn't even know myself, little less the person in front of me, nor the place I was in.

"Come on, if we leave now, they'll still be open", Naruto said quickly and grabbed the arm of my robe leading us around a far off corner and towards an unwatched exit. Clearly not the first time he snuck out of the hospital without a discharge. "This way", he said as we left the hospital and walked out into the crisp night air.

The village was very quiet. Lanterns and torches were lit here and there, and the night sky was clear and filled with stars.

"So, I guess I forgot to ask. What's your name?", Naruto asked as he led us on along a narrow street. I panted heavily from the brisk walking pace, but soon found enough breath to answer him.

"I'm, uh… Yari, I think", I said with a ringing tone of uncertainty.

"Yari, huh? Any last name?", he asked and pointed ahead towards a small hut, with an open wall entrance covered only in short drapes. "Over there! You like ramen, don't you?"

"I don't know", I answered honestly, but could feel that I was definitely getting hungry and more than willing to try whatever it was.

"Whaddaya mean, you don't know? Have you never had _ramen_ before?!" Naruto exclaimed as we walked up towards the hut, with its drapes flashing the words _Ichiraku Ramen_.

"I can't remember", I answered and followed Naruto inside. "Kind of can't remember anything at all."

We were greeted by Mr. Ichiraku himself, and sat down right at the bar before Naruto ordered for the both of us. Apparently just one portion was nowhere near enough, and soon we sat with three bowls each with different soups and toppings. I ate to my hearts (and stomachs) delight, of the fantastic noodles and just as Naruto had insisted, I had no trouble whatsoever finishing all of the three portions.

"...and then I woke up in the hospital. This pink haired woman asked me some questions. Sakada-something", I explained to the best of my memory.

"Sakura. Yeah, she's great. Don't worry about a thing, she has patched me up more times than I can count. Just don't piss her off… She may look skinny, but she packs a crazy right hook."

I must say, I liked Naruto. His easy going outlook to practically everything was a breath of fresh air in my time of absolute uncertainty. Whoever I was before I ended up in that forest, I can only hope that I had once had someone like Naruto in my life. Somebody that can make you just forget the world and its pain.

"NARUTO!"

The voice shrieked and rang through the night air, and I quickly turned on the spot. Sakura, with eyes blazing and hair flailing, was coming towards all the aura of an enraged boar. The tender bedside manner that she had shown me at the hospital seemingly a thing of the past. "Oh, no…", I heard Naruto moan as Sakura closed in.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU ARE NEVER TO LEAVE THE HOSPITAL BEFORE WE DISCHARGE YOU!", Sakura scolded Naruto, who looked like a dog who just took a beating.

"But Sakura…! It was taking forever, and I was hungry", Naruto moaned, but Sakura just scoffed.

"YOU HAVE BEEN HUNGRY FOR TEN YEARS STRAIGHT! DO YOU THINK I HAVE TIME TO RUN ALL OVER LOOKING FOR YOU?! WE HAVE ANOTHER MISSING PATIENT, AND IF ANYTHING HAS HAPPENED TO HIM WHILE I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR YOU, SO HELP ME I WILL…!", she carried on, but stopped when Naruto gave her a half witted smile and pointed at me. Slowly and with a stare that could easily have been used to cut metal, she turned her head and looked at me.

"Naruto", Sakura began while staring at me, but now with a freezingly cold tone. "What - is Yari - doing here - with you?"

"Uhm…", Naruto mumbled with a terrified look. "I took him out for some ra-."

He didn't get to finish the sentence. Instead, Sakura punched him in the face with such power that I could feel my hair flutter from shockwave. Naruto toppled over from his chair and fell to the floor before he rolled like a ball into the wall with a bang, causing a painting to fall and hit him over the head. Sakura was not only terrifying. She was stronger than an angered troll.

I sat frozen in my chair, praying to some higher power that I wouldn't have to face the same punishment, and stared at Naruto who groaned in a pile on the floor. Sakura ran her hands through her pink hair while taking a deep breath, before she turned back to me. Suddenly her face changed, and the caring smile was back as if nothing had happened.

"Yari. In fifteen minutes I will be in your room at the hospital to check on you. You WILL be in the room and in bed when I get there. Understood?"

She spoke with all the tenderness of concerned caretaker again, but with something in her eyes that terrified me more than all the memory loss in the world ever could.

"Yes, ma'am!" I answered loud and clear. Sakura smiled again, turned on the spot and walked back towards the hospital. Before she turned a corner, I could hear her say to herself, "As if we needed ANOTHER knucklehead ninja in this village!"

Ninja. That word.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I hurried back to the hospital alongside a somewhat groggy Naruto, and as I climbed into bed again Sakura walked through the door.

"Sorry about that earlier. Naruto's arrogance drives me up the walls sometimes", Sakura excused herself as she started checking my pulse. Her loving bedside manner seemed to have returned, and as her hand shimmered in its green aura, she felt my forehead and then my chest.

"Even better than before. All you really need is lots and lots of rest to let yourself heal", she asked as she signed my chart again and hung it back on my bed. "No more adventures for at least a few days, okay? I don't allow my patients to just walk about when they are in my care."

I nodded, and she smiled again. "Good. Now, get some sleep."

"Miss Haruno…", I interrupted as she was about to leave me. She stopped and turned back to me with raised eyebrows.

"You said something about Ninjas, down by the ramen shop", I began and Sakura's eyes analyzed me thoroughly. "I was wondering…", I continued. "That word. What does it mean?"

Sakura looked at me with concern. "You don't remember what a ninja is", she asked softly. I shook my head, without nausea this time.

"I recognize the word, and I know it's important. But I can't remember why, or what it means", I explained as well as I could, feeling like an idiot child. Sakura sat down at the end of my bed.

"A _ninja_, or _shinobi_", Sakura began. "...is our job. Our lives. We dedicate ourselves to disciplined training, to act as protectors of our homes and warriors when times call for it." I listened to her words and as soon as she had laid the truth before me, my head split in agonizing pain.

"Yari? Yari! What's wrong?!"

I could hear her, but I couldn't focus to save my life. The world span again as something flashed before me. A face. Several faces standing before me, but too blurred to recognize. Suddenly I spoke.

"Strength and shadow!", I called to the many people in front of me, my voice bold and commanding. "Strength and shadow", the others repeated in unison, followed by loud war cries and cheer.

Suddenly I was back, the pain in my head fading. Sakura was watching me carefully, and already holding her green glowing hand over my forehead again.

"Yari? How are you feeling", she asked softly. I was dizzy, but all right.

"I'm okay, I think. What happened", I answered, panting heavily and felt sweat running down my cheek. Sakura felt my pulse at my wrist, and checked me thoroughly before she answered.

"I was hoping you could tell me. You shouted something, and screamed in pain", she said, carefully eyeing me. The pain had already faded, and suddenly I felt as if nothing had happened.

"What… What did I say", I asked. Sakura stood up, and grabbed my chart again.

"Strength and shadow."

Strength and shadow. The phrase, just as so many other things, felt so familiar. But something had changed too. Ninja. I knew the word, and I knew it's meaning. I had been one, or I was one. I can't say how I know, or even what I can do or what makes me a ninja, but I knew for certain that I had once been one.

Sakura stayed to poke and examined me for a long while, before she told her subordinates to keep a close eye on me for any further _episodes_, and left me alone. I laid in bed, and thought of the vision I had seen, and those words. Strength and shadow. I looked down at my body, and saw scars and markings all over my chest. The tattoo on my forearm was now burning into my eyes the more I stared at it.

Hours became night, and nights became days without any further visions or headaches. After a week on my room, Sakura came back with Naruto behind her. "How are we doing", she asked cheerily as she walked into the room and immediately went for my chart again for what had to be the hundredth time.

"I'm bored", I answered sharply, and Naruto laughed.

"Well, I can't make you stay in the hospital anymore. You're free to leave", Sakura said, carefully examining my chart. "How's your memory coming along? Anything new surfacing?"

Naruto stood behind her with his hands behind his head, looking at me over Sakura's shoulder. He seemed as cheerful as ever.

"Not really... ", I began. "Only those words. Strength and shadow."

"Strength and shadow?", Naruto repeated loudly as Sakura felt my forehead and then my pulse. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

Sakura turned back at Naruto. "It sounds like… Kind of like a pledge, or a password. We could ask the Lord Hokage about it."

Naruto groaned. "Jeesh, Sakura. Just call him Kakashi sensei already."

"I will NOT, and you should show him the proper respect, Naruto", Sakura bit back immediately, before she turned back to me.

"Anyway - I'll ask him first thing, and I'll look around for somewhere for you to stay. The few houses the village keep for occasions like these are all full at the moment, but something will turn up, I'm sure."

She crossed a few boxes on my chart.

"For now, you can just stay here. We'll sort something out soon enough", she finished.

"Uhm…", Naruto began, seemingly uncomfortable all of sudden. Both Sakura and myself turned to look at him.

"What is it, Naruto?", I asked and saw how he turned slightly red across his cheeks. "You can... ", he began again before he cleared his throat. "You can stay in my apartment."

Sakura looked at him with large eyes and a face of confusion. "In YOUR apartment? But Naruto, where are you going to live, then?"

Naruto looked down at his feet. Blushing more and more, but wearing a shy smile. "Uhm… I bought a house."

"YOU BOUGHT A HOUSE?!" Sakura exclaimed. "Why in the world would you do that?! You have more than enough space for…", she carried on before she suddenly stopped herself. I looked at her carefully, trying my very best to figure out what it was that she had just figured out.

She smiled, as her eyes teared up.

"Oh, Naruto…! Are you two getting married?"

Uncertain of what I could offer to the discussion, I sat quiet and waited for a reaction as Naruto searched for his words. "Well… I haven't asked her yet", he explained and rested his hands behind his head again. "But I hope so."

Sakura threw her arms around him, embracing him with all the friendly love in the world. "I'm so happy for you", she said softly before quickly breaking the hug.

"Sorry, Yari. That was unprofessional", she quickly excused herself and smoothed out her lab coat. Naruto just laughed, seemingly too happy to even make a joke. "No, no. Don't worry about it", I said with a wave of my hand before I gave Naruto a smile. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"Hinata", he answered with an absent minded smile and ever so red faced. "Hinata Hyuga." The room fell quiet for a moment, as Naruto blushed and Sakura just grinned at him. I was happy for Naruto. He seemed like a good guy, well deserving of a loving partner and a happy marriage.

"Uhum… Anyway", Naruto said to break the tension. "I'll hurry up moving the last of my stuff, and you can have the keys this afternoon."

I looked at the both of my rescuers in awe. I could of course not say for certain, but somehow I still knew it to be true. "I don't think I have ever met any two people who would be so kind to a stranger", I said truthfully. "Thank you. So much."

"No need to thank us, Yari", Sakura said, softly caressing my knee where I laid on the bed. "You can pay us back by working on your memory."

"Yeah, and we'll help anyway we can. We'll get you back home. I promise", Naruto finished with a reassuring smile.

And so it happened that I left the Konoha hospital and moved into Naruto's old apartment. He got the last few boxes as I walked up to the place. He had strapped it all to the back of a toad, larger than a cow and as I was handed the keys, the toad leaped off into the air like a shooting rocket, with Naruto following it closely behind.

The place was small and simple, but more than enough for just me. A spacious bedroom and a smaller kitchen, along with a bathroom with plenty of hot water. I couldn't have hoped for anything better, but even so I found myself completely alone for the first time in memory. I sat down at the edge of the bed, and just stared into the painted-over cracks in the concrete. What do I do now, I thought. I was safe and somewhat healthy, but with absolutely no purpose. No goal line in sight. No… _mission_.

A mirror hung on the wall, seemingly in need of a good wipe down but I could still see myself looking back. A boney thin young man looked at me with darkened blue eyes. His, or my, I suppose even though the man in the mirror was a complete stranger. _My_ sandy brown hair was cut short, and I would soon be needing a shave. I was a person. A man, who had probably had friends and family at some point. Maybe there was a girl waiting to marry me somewhere? Maybe I had a wife, who longed for my return? A house? Kids?

My eyes teared up as one horrible thought after the other of the abandoned friends and orphaned children that I could have left behind, passed through my mind. It struck me then and there, that I was afraid. I hadn't considered it before in my daze, but I was alone and scared, and I did _not_ care for the feeling.

Before soon, I quickly decided that even though I had a new home, I couldn't just sit around and do nothing. Instead, I figured it was high time to get to know my surroundings. After all, I could be here for a while. I wiped a stray tear from my face, and took a deep breath before I stood up again. My legs now carrying me with both strength and resolve.

Leaving the house, I walked out along the streets buzzling with people and the busy life of village daytime. Men, women and children where everywhere, going about their days with both work, chore and play. I walked with my hands in the pockets of the hospital robe, and listened to the music of life passing by around me as I carefully checked behind me every few minutes to make sure I didn't lose my way.

"Hey! Yari", I soon heard a voice call from the side of the street. I turned to find Sakura, out of her lab coat and in civilian clothes, sitting at a table in the sun with three other people. She waved at me, and as I walked over, I quickly ran my eyes over her company. A blonde woman with an almost disturbingly well carved face and seductive eyes. A larger man with wild hair, who was probably almost as wide as he was tall and looking at the plate of teriyaki wings in front of him like they were his long lost lover, and a slouching skinny one with dark hair in a top knot.

"Guys, this is Yari", Sakura said, introducing me to the trio of new faces, who all looked at me with what seemed like wildly unimpressed expressions. "Yari, this is Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara", she continued and pointed to them in order.

I was about to greet them all, when the larger one called Choji looked up. "Oh, you're the one they found in the forest", he said in between bites of chicken.

"_Choji!_ Don't be rude", the woman called Ino, interrupted. "Sorry. He forgets his manners when his focus is _elsewhere_", she said nodding towards the plate.

"I'm sure he meant nothing bad", I told them both sincerely, feeling slightly embarrassed that my short life story seemed to have already become village gossip. Choji smiled as he almost inhaled his fourth wing in little under a minute, and Sakura pulled out a fifth chair, showing me to sit down. I did.

"So, Yari", Ino began again. "Where are you from?"

I felt myself freeze up, and looked over at Sakura. "Doctor-patient confidentiality. I haven't told them anything", she explained quickly.

"Oh…", I heard myself saying. "Uhm… I, uh, I don't know where I'm from. I kind of can't remember anything before your people found me in the forest."

Ino looked embarrassed. "Oh, I'm sorry", she said sincerely, and quickly tried to change the subject by pointing to the tattoo on my arm. "I like your tattoo. What does it mean?"

I looked down over the black ink forming symbols and letters on my skin. "I actually don't know that either…"

This time, the one called Shikamaru looked up from his daydreaming and looked over at me. Scanning me and my arm with all the intensity of the sun itself.

"That's a sealing jutsu", he said, plain as day, and the other three turned towards him with confused faces.

"A what?", I asked.

"A sealing jutsu? Like the one Naruto…", Choji began, but Shikamaru interrupted.

"No. More like a summoning seal from a ninja scroll", he explained, and both Choji, Ino and Sakura leaned in to see my arm from Shikamaru's perspective. They studied it for a good while as they tilted their heads from side to side to try and see what Shikamaru meant.

"Are you sure, Shikamaru? It doesn't look like any summoning scroll I've ever seen…", Choji muttered as he inspected my arm. I stretched it out across the table to let the group see it clearly when Shikamaru softly grabbed the back of Choji's head and helped him tilt it to the side.

"Oh, yeah! Now I see! Wow! What have you locked in there", Choji exclaimed with large eyes when he understood what his friend meant. Ino and Sakura seemed to have understood as well.

"No clue. I'm not even certain what you mean by sealing and summoning."

Choji and Ino looked up at me with surprised faces. "Wait - aren't you a ninja", Choji asked. I felt my face get red.

"He doesn't remember, Choji", Sakura interposed before turning back to me. "Sealing and summoning are ninja techniques. The one on your arm is similar to what we use in scrolls to summon gear and support."

Ino leaned back and withdrew something from a pocket on her short skirt. A small paper scrolls, which she rolled out over the table. On the paper where markings, sort of similar to my tattoo just as Shikamaru said.

"It works like this", Ino explained, and placed her own thumb in her mouth. I was shocked to see her bite down hard, before blood run down her finger like it was nothing. Then she did several quick gestures with her hands.

"Summoning jutsu!", she exclaimed and put the bloody thumb down at the center of the scroll, causing a puff of sparks and smoke to spring from the paper. A few seconds later as the smoke dispersed, I looked at Ino to see a big black bird sitting perched at her wrist. Like a raven or a crow, but with a saw toothed black beak, and large red eyes. It cawed loudly and picked lovingly at Ino's fingers when she patted it.

"Just like that", she said, flashing me another smile. "Release", she added and the bird disappeared again in another puff of smoke.

"He's not gonna like that, Ino", Choji said with a concerned face, as he licked his plate clean. "You shouldn't just call on him and then send him on his way, you know. _That_ is rude."

Ino shrugged. "I feed him plenty every other time. He'll live."

I looked down at my arm again. "Does that mean that I used to be a ninja", I asked.

"Could be", Sakura answered and poured herself another drink.

"Not necessarily", Shikamaru added. "But probably."

"How… Is there any way I can find out?" I asked, looking around at my company. Choji shrugged, and Sakura was quiet, but Shikamaru gave Ino a meaning look.

"Ino can probably help you", he said. I turned toward the girl, who suddenly played nervously with her hair.

"I- I don't think so. The technique isn't that good yet", she said.

"Sure it is. We'll use the machine, and Choji and I will help. It'll work."

Ino looked down into the table. Her stature had changed noticeably.

"I… I don't think so…", she whispered faintly. I couldn't say why the subject hit so close to home, but anybody could see that Ino was upset.

"Look, there's no need…", I tried, but Shikamaru interrupted me. "You'll have to use it sooner or later. It may as well be to help Yari…"

"I SAID NO, ALL RIGHT?!" Ino slammed her fist into the table, making Sakura's glass fall over, before she stood up and walked off.

"Ino!" Sakura called after her, but the blonde woman quickly disappeared among the crowds.

Silence fell across the table soon enough.

"You pushed too hard again, Shikamaru", Choji said in a low tone.

"I know. I'll apologize tomorrow", Shikamaru answered, before he turned back to me again. "Where are you staying?"

"Uhm… Naruto's old apartment."

"Old? Whaddayamean old? He's lived there for…", Shikamaru said but stopped himself just as quickly. "I see… Good for them." He finished his drink before he too stood up.

"Congratulate Naruto from us when you see him, Sakura", he continued. "Yari, I'll pick you up tomorrow afternoon when I've had a chance to talk to Ino."

"Tomorrow?", I asked. "What are we doing?"

"Taking a look inside your head. I'll explain more tomorrow. See you, guys", he finished and walked off in the same direction as Ino had disappeared in. I looked at Choji who just absent-mindedly waved at Shikamaru as he left.

"Don't worry about it. He's like that. Always ten thoughts ahead of the rest of us", Choji said as he counted money to pay his meal with. "I'll tell you one thing though. If anybody can figure this thing out, it's Shikamaru."

Sakura leaned in. "Choji's right, Yari. Shikamaru is your best bet right now."

Choji nodded in agreement, and stood up as well. "Well, I'm off. I'm meeting Dad for dinner. It was nice meeting you, Yari."

"You too, Choji", I told him.

"Didn't you just have dinner?", Sakura asked with a somewhat bitter tone.

"Yeah, so?" he asked, and waddled off.

As silence fell again, I looked over at Sakura. I saw the pink hair and the bright green eyes. She really was incredibly lovely.

"So… They're a bunch of characters", Sakura said, breaking the silence. "But nice. They mean well."

"I liked them. Seem like a good bunch", I answered truthfully.

"Ino likes you", Sakura added with a coy smile.

"What? How can you tell?" I asked, almost choking on my drink.

"We were besties as kids, and then sort of deadly rivals for a while. Trust me, I know her. She's always had a thing for handsome guys", she explained.

Handsome? Me? I leaned back in my seat and smiled at her. "So…, I'm _handsome_ now, am I?"

Sakura laughed at my ridiculous attempt to flirt. A loving, and well deserved laugh in retrospect and I soon joined in the laugh.

"Well, yeah, I'd say so", she said in between the laughter. "Get some color back on those cheeks and you'll break some hearts!"

My heart skipped a beat, as she smiled at me once more.

The evening continued, and it must have looked silly how a trained doctor and ninja sat socializing with a walking skeleton still in his hospital robe. But I can't say that I cared. I cared more about how the fear and confusion slipped away from me again, and all that was left was the drinks, the laughter and the hysterically gorgeous woman at my side.

After several more drinks, and with our heads spinning a fair bit, we left and wished each other good night. I followed her lovely figure as we parted ways for as long as I could. Then I hit a lamp post.

Getting drunk in a city you've never been to is rarely a good idea, but I eventually found my way among the many paths to Naruto's house. Maybe I should start calling it my house? After all, I could be here for a while, and the intoxication was _not_ helping my memory at all.

With heavy steps I climbed the stairs leading to the front door, when I saw a dark shape next to it. Somebody was waiting for me.

"Evening, friend", I greeted the stranger, somewhat slurred.

"Yari Shimizu", a dark voice spoke.

"Yes? Do you know me?" I asked, leaning against the wall, now feeling positively smashed.

"You do not", the voice answered as the shadow walked up to me and pulled the black hood back, only to reveal a white mask painted with wolf-like features, which covered the stranger's entire face.

"I am here to inform you that you are being watched", the stranger continued. I could now hear that the voice belonged to a man.

"Watched? Why?" I asked.

The cloaked man took another couple of steps towards me.

"I will also inform you that you are _not_ allowed to leave the village, until we say otherwise."

I instinctively took a step back.

"What? Have I done something wrong? Who are you?!"

The man stopped and seemed to look me up and down, but it was really hard to tell through the mask.

"Not yet but for now, you are a person of interest to the ANBU Black-Ops."

I shook my head in an attempt to clear things up a bit. "The ANBU-what? How do you know who I am? Was that my last name?!" I asked, dazed and confused.

The man turned around, revealing the back of a completely shaved head.

"Do _NOT_ disobey these orders." Then he was gone, and I was left standing in the puff of smoke that he left behind. Shimizu. The word meant nothing, but I felt it. I could feel it through my entire body. A piece of the puzzle fell into place.

My name is Yari Shimizu.


End file.
